Ed Lanquist Jr. Sworn in as 144th TBA President

The 143rd Annual Tennessee Bar Association Convention was held in Memphis June 12-15 at the historic Peabody Hotel. President Ed Lanquist Jr. was sworn in by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Holly Kirby, taking the gavel from Jim Barry. Heidi Barcus moves into the role of president-elect and Charlotte Knight Griffin now serves as vice president.

Meet the 2024-2025 TBA Board of Governors: front row from left: Sheree Wright, Matthew Evans, Trey Thacher, Mary Beth Maddox, Ed Lanquist Jr., Terica Smith, Charlotte Knight Griffin, Joe Kirkland, Deb Yeomans-Barton; back row from left: Judge Russ Parkes, Ben Jones, Rachel Moses, Sean Aiello, Billy Leslie, Shauna Billingsley, Jim Barry, Amy Willoughby Bryant, Sarah Akin, John Farringer, Judge Alex McVeagh

Barry recognized outgoing Board of Governors members Mary Beard, Tasha Blakney, Will Perry, Judge Valerie Smith, Quinton Thompson and David Veile.

Thursday’s Bench Bar Luncheon keynote address was given by Memphis lawyer Charles Newman, in which he recounted his experience representing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, and thanked his law firm Burch Porter & Johnson for allowing him to work on cases throughout his career that did not add to the bottom line. He challenged those in the room not to allow the pressure of making the practice of law more profitable to squeeze out important values.

Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award

Chief Justice Holly Kirby was honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The Drowota Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III — the award’s first recipient. The Drowota Award is the TBA’s highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.

Chief Justice Kirby has been a member of the state Supreme Court since 2014. She was elected by her colleagues as chief justice in 2023. Before joining the state’s highest court, Kirby made history as the first woman in the state to be named to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, where she served for almost 19 years.

 

Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award

Judge J. Daniel Breen received the Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award from the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and the Tennessee American Inns of Court. The Reeves Award is presented each year to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee.

Breen was appointed as a U.S. district judge in 2003. He served as chief judge from 2013 until taking senior status in 2017. Now, as a senior judge, he remains an integral part of the court. He maintains a significant case load, serves on the Civic Outreach Committee and heads the Facility Security Committee for the court’s Eastern Division. He also chairs the Pattern Criminal Jury Instruction Committee for the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award

Retired Memphis attorney Bill Haltom received the TBA YLD Fellows William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award, presented by Charlotte Knight Griffin. The Leech Award is given to a Tennessee lawyer who has been of outstanding service to the profession, legal system and the community. It is named for former Attorney General William M. Leech, and the recipient is selected by the Fellows of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

Haltom was elected vice president of the TBA in 2003 and served as president of the association from 2005-2006. His platform included a statewide grassroots public education campaign focused on the importance of the rule of law as well as a statewide public service effort.

Claudia Jack Award

Laura Dykes was honored with the Tennessee Bar Association’s Fifth Annual Claudia Jack Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who has served the legal community and her clients in an exemplary fashion. It is named after the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged, and a public defender in Maury County.

Dykes has served as an assistant public defender for the past 35 years, working first in the Metro Davidson County office, then joining the 13th Judicial District office in Cookeville after her retirement in Nashville.

Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing

Memphis lawyer Miles Mason Sr. was presented with the Justice Joseph W. Henry Award for Outstanding Legal Writing.

The award was established nearly 40 years ago and is given each year to the lawyer “who writes the most outstanding article that is published in the ... Tennessee Bar Journal for the preceding year. Named for Henry, a former chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court known for his forthright and clear writing, the purpose of the award is to encourage practicing Tennessee lawyers to write scholarly yet practical articles that will be of maximum benefit to the members of our bar.”

Mason was recognized for his article "You Are the Father!: Untangling Custody Rights in Tennessee Between Unmarried Parents," which appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of the Journal. Mason’s father-in-law, the late Judge Joe B. Jones, was the first recipient of the award in 1981.

4th Estate Award

The TBA’s Fourth Estate Award was established to recognize and encourage journalists who promote public understanding of the rule of law and improvements in our system of justice through their vigorous exercise of their First Amendment rights.

Meribah Knight, a reporter and producer at Nashville Public Radio, was recognized for her podcast “The Kinds of Rutherford County,” which brought to light abuses in the juvenile court system in Rutherford County.

President's Awards

Barry presented his President’s Awards to Ann Pruitt and Linda Warren Seely for their work as Access to Justice Committee co-chairs; to Kendra Mansur, Laura Brown and Rachel Moses for their work on new TBA initiatives to address safe and stable housing; and to former Assistant Executive Director Barry Kolar (pictured) for his 23 years of service to TBA, serving twice as interim executive director.

Young Lawyers Division

The TBA Young Lawyers Division (YLD) held its annual meeting during the Convention, installing Sean Aiello of Franklin as president; Chattanooga Judge Alex McVeagh as president-elect; Memphis attorney Jen Sneed vice president; and Nashville attorneys Ross Smith as secretary and Darius Walker Jr. as treasurer. Quinton Thompson of Memphis is immediate past president. The TBA Young Lawyers Division Fellows also met for their annual meeting as part of the TBA's 2024 Annual Convention. The group elected Jackson lawyer Michelle Greenway Sellers as president, Memphis lawyer Mason Wilson as vice president, Chattanooga lawyer David McDowell as secretary and Memphis lawyer Nicole Grida as treasurer.

The Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Class of 2024 (pictured above) held its graduation at Convention, completing a six-month leadership and mentoring program for the 15 members representing all six Tennessee law schools. 2024 DLI co-chairs, Memphis attorneys Brande Boyd and Rod Watson, organized sessions for the program.

TBA Leadership Law Class of 2024

The 2024 Leadership Law (TBALL) class held its graduation and awards ceremonies on Friday of Convention, presenting Nashville lawyer Lorne Hiller (above, left) with the Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award. Hiller was chosen by fellow members of the TBALL class. The award is named for former President Larry D. Wilks and recognizes a TBALL class member with exceptional leadership qualities. Wilk’s son John Wilks (above, right) was on hand to present the award.

Tennessee Bar Foundation Announces New Executive Director

The Tennessee Bar Foundation has announced that Nashville lawyer John Murphy will serve as its new executive director beginning July 1. Murphy (pictured right) will replace longtime director Barri Bernstein, who announced in January she would retire. Bernstein will continue on as a consultant for the next year to ensure continuity of programs. Murphy brings a diverse professional background to the position, including legal practice, nonprofit management and public service. He most recently served as senior advisor for economic inclusion at the Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County. He has been an active member of the TBA, serving on the Young Lawyers Division Board as sponsorship chair.

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